December Drabbles
by llamaglamasama
Summary: Basically, a collection of shorts based off of December themes. KaiShin Rating raised just in case.
1. Wreath

December Drabbles

Wreath

Humming absently to himself, Kuroba Kaito danced around the room, absently hanging up decorations here and there. Considering it was December and the decorations he was hanging _were_ Christmas themed, this shouldn't be odd.

What was odd, however, was the fact that he was doing this in someone else's house. A particular someone else, in fact, who wasn't even home yet. Kaito grinned to himself. He couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he walked in to see the change.

In the meantime, he entertained himself by arranging miniature figurines into erotic positions. The little Rudolf doll was particularly flexible, though he was a bit annoyed with the fat Santa statuette whose fake midriff fat limited his movement range quite a bit.

The front door's lock clicked behind him and he tossed aside the snowman figure to face the house's owner.

Kudo Shinichi's shoulder was the first thing visible beyond the open door. He remained silent for a long while before he reached up and removed something from the door, slamming it closed when he was finished.

"Is there a reason," he began, never looking up from the green circlet in his hands, "that you put a wreath on my door sporting the words, 'Trick or Treat'?" Blue eyes focused on sheepish violet ones.

"Well," Kaito shrugged, "Christmas is all about giving, right? It just depends on which one you get. Besides, you wouldn't let me decorate for Halloween, so I had to improvise."

"In other words," Shinichi sighed, "this wreath was not originally green, was it? And all this Holly adorning it were add-ons. So…how many more sprigs did you plant around the house?" He asked with a longsuffering tone.

"Oh, here and there. I had some extras and you know, the glue I used is advertised to be the very best. I _had_ to see if it really was effective on all surfaces, after all."

--

**Okay, this didn't quite go the way I envisioned it, but oh well.**

**Seeing as it's finally December, I decided to start this little drabble series. Hopefully, I'll be able to update everyday, but we'll just have to see. I don't know yet whether they'll all be connected or if they'll be stand-alone drabbles, but I'll let you know either way.**

**Hope you liked it!**


	2. Carol

Carols

There were many strange things about Kudo Shinichi, as anyone who knew him could contest. The first quirk that came to mind for most people was usually the fact that bodies literally fell from the sky around him. Most of the quirks, however, were more subtle and less gruesome.

One of those bizarre quirks presented itself only when Shinichi was out of sorts from a high fever, Kaito discovered. Discovered in a very disconcerting way, too.

He'd been sitting at his vanity chest, doing up his makeup in preparation to scout out the local museum that had just received a new gemstone, when Shinichi had wandered by the door, loudly singing some random ditty he'd heard on TV somewhere. The really odd thing, though, was the fact that the singing actually sounded _good_. Or in tune, at the very least.

Kaito turned to stare in shock at the detective who was supposed to be tone deaf. He was dancing…_Shinichi_ was _dancing_. Kaito pinched himself, convinced this all had to be a dream. After all, reality would never release a singing and dancing Shinichi on the unsuspecting victims…right?

Except that he most definitely could feel the pain and it was looking very much like this dream…wasn't.

"Hey, Shin-chan?"

"Hai~?" The said detective called back in a singsong voice and Kaito had to suppress a shudder. Tantei-kun was seriously scaring him right now.

"Um, are you feeling okay?" He asked, moving forward to check his roommate's temperature. "Jeez, you're burning up! You should be in bed!" He ordered. Shinichi obeyed him easily, humming to himself and bouncing slightly to the beat. Kaito was rather disconcerted by the apparent switch of personalities between them, but hopefully, Shinichi would be back to normal when the fever broke.

If not, Kaito might have to take extreme actions. After all, he couldn't go and become responsible, could he? It'd mark the end of the world!

--

**Looks like these drabbles won't be connected, though I suppose it's possible they could be from the same universe. Oh well.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Candle

**AN: Shiroi means white**

Candle

Shinichi sighed wearily, resting his head against his boyfriend's shoulder. This was the third murder he'd run into this week. Wasn't the Christmas season supposed to be all about love, peace, and happiness, and _not_ about increasing his body count?

"So, any ideas?" Kaito asked, running his hands through Shinichi's hair. "The police in the other room are just waiting for you to come up with something and save them the trouble of solving the case."

"Well, I know how they did it, mostly, but…"

"You don't have the evidence?"

"That and I don't like the way this is looking. This is one case I don't relish having to reveal the solution."

Kaito blinked at him. "Are you feeling okay, Tantei-kun?" He asked in concern, pushing the detective far enough away from him to feel his forehead. "You're not warm, but that doesn't sound like you at all."

Shinichi chuckled slightly. "No, it's not that. It's just…if the one I suspect did it, this will be rather…embarrassing to reveal."

"What do you mean?"

Shinichi sighed and knelt down. "Look at this," he indicated some vague piece of evidence that no sane mind would ever possibly notice. "This shows that Shiroi-san did it, in the living room, with a candlestick." He paused as Kaito bent over laughing, "see why I don't want to explain that?"


	4. Cold

Cold

"I hate the cold." Kaito moped.

"Really? I would've thought you'd like it. After all, dressing warmly provides you all those extra pockets to hide tricks in and whatnot."

"That's the thing, though! People expect that things are hidden in the provided pockets and half the show is ruined! A magician's job is to make people wonder how the hell they pulled something off. It's no fun if they assume it was something simple!"

"Because they'd be right?"

"No!" Kaito shouted. "I do _not_ pull my tricks out of something as common place as a pocket!"

"Sure, whatever." Shinichi shrugged. Nothing was ever gained form arguing with the magician, after all. "Personally, I love the cold. It's nice and there's always the added bonus of warming up later for those times when it's truly too cold to be comfortable." He grinned, winking at his companion.

Kaito gaped at him, flabbergasted. Since when did the detective make suggestions like that!? Still, he was nothing if not opportunistic. And there was no way he'd be passing up an opportunity like the one presented before him now.

"Oooh, is that so? Well, I for one wouldn't mind, ahem, _warming up_." He leered at Shinichi and snagged his wrist, dragging him towards the Kudo Mansion.

--

**Sorry it's so short, but I had a little trouble coming up with anything.**


	5. Ornaments

Ornaments

Shinichi looked up from the paperwork he'd been absorbed in to stare at the oddly shaped ball that rolled past him. Was that – ?

He picked it up and examined it carefully. Yup, it most certainly was an ornament, and a very fragile one at that. But how had it rolled into the library? The door was shut completely and there was no possible way it could fit under the door. Even assuming it had come in through some other way, how had it managed to roll all the way to his feet by the desk? And where the heck had it come from in the first place? True, there was a Christmas tree in the living room down the hall, but he didn't recognize this as being one of the ornaments he'd put on it.

Well, maybe he'd simply forgotten it. With a frown, he set aside his work and trudged out to the living room to replace the ornate ball on the tree. Strangely, there didn't seem to be an empty spot where the ornament should have gone, but he managed to put it on and make it look nice.

With that done, he returned to the library, determined to get his work done, distractions be damned. Megure-keibu wanted the files by tomorrow and he'd never be one to disappoint. He was surprised, however, when the door to the library swung open and the sight of a large Christmas tree greeted him.

"What the hell!?" Where had that come from? There was no way he'd miss someone bringing it in through the front door and it was ridiculous to even consider the idea of someone getting it in through the window. Besides that, who – !?

But the 'who' was quickly made obvious when he noticed that the angel that generally adorned to top of Christmas trees had been replaced with a detailed Kaitou Kid figurine. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that all of the ornaments were miniature stone parts of Kid's costume, such as the white top hats that littered the upper branches and the monocle that was nearly always placed just below the hats. The string of lights looping around the tree had also been modified so that each of the bulbs were shaped like Kid's signature caricature.

"Did you really have to go to so much trouble?" Shinichi asked the air, exasperated. "Really, imagine if someone like Hakuba or Nakamori saw this. They'd immediately assume that I was either you somehow in disguise or helping you in some way on your heists."

"But wouldn't that just make things that much more interesting?" A disembodied voice asked him, sounding as if it were floating out of every crevice the room presented.

"For you, maybe. For me, it'd just be a pain and a tarnish on my reputation." Shinichi sighed, "In any case, you can have your fun with decorations, but I have work to do and you're not to disturb me, understood?" He demanded.

"Aww~, you're no fun, Tantei-kun~" The disembodied voice crooned. A figure appeared out of non-existent shadows and bestowed a wide smirk upon him. "Do you really think I'd come here just to let you ignore me?" The Kaitou Kid stalked toward him, prompting him to back up until he was cornered against a bookcase next to the tree. "'All work and no play makes Tantei-kun a very dull opponent'. And we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"W-wait, Kid – "


	6. Gift Wrapping

**Could sort of be considered a continuation of the last one.**

Gift Wrapping

Shinichi sat on the library floor, an array of odd objects before him. Gifts, mostly for his family. He picked up a copy of _Murder for Dummies_ ™ and reached for the wrapping paper. He had his father's gift halfway wrapped before he realized that something was wrong.

The only wrapping paper he ever bought was usually the plain, colored type that could be used year 'round and didn't references any one festivity. The one he was using now, however, was most decidedly not that.

Grinning Kaitou Kid caricatures stared up at him from a midnight blue backdrop. Shinichi breathed in slowly, waited a few seconds, and then breathed out. He then repeated the routine four different times before a thundering of footsteps signaled the arrival of his sort-of-boyfriend-but-also-legal-and-professional-adversary.

"Hey, Shin-chan! Oh, you're wrapping gifts? Lemme help!" The thief called happily, plopping down on the floor next to his sworn enemy.

"Kaito," Shinichi began slowly, "_why_ has all of my wrapping paper been replaced with your custom-made wrapping paper? The wrapping paper that you had made to wrap the presents you sent your taskforce?"

"Oh. I was wondering where that got to." Kaito grinned, the epitome of innocence.

"Right. And you didn't intentionally plant that here. At all." Shinichi glared. Kaito continued grinning, unrepentant.

"Look on the bright side, Shin-chan! Your dad chased Kaitou Kid, too, so it's probably not that strange to him for stuff like this to happen."

"True. Except for the fact that that 'strange thing' is coming in a package addressed to him _from his son_!" Shinichi snarled. "The world is not _supposed_ to know that you come here on a regular basis, you know! That's kind of the point behind a secret relationship!"

There was silence for a long moment. Then…

"Are you saying you're too ashamed to let the world know you associate with me?" Kaito asked quietly, his voice stricken.

Shinichi's eyes went wide. "What? No! I – " He sighed and bit his lip. "You're a thief, Kaito, I can't escape that. I'm not ashamed of you, never, but I still don't want the world to know. It's – I'm not ashamed of you. But I think I might be ashamed of me." He whispered.

Kaito jerked in surprise. "What the hell do you have to be ashamed of in yourself!? You're a brilliant detective, famous practically international. The cops can barely do anything without your help and even complete strangers ask you for help when they're desperate. Even when you basically vanished for a year, your fame hardly lessened. So what in god's name do you have to be ashamed of?"

"That's just it." He murmured. "I'm a detective, but I went and fell in love with a thief. That goes against every fiber of a detective's conscience and I went and did it anyway." He shut his eyes and swallowed back bitter tears.

Kaito was silent, unable to reply. How did a simple little joke turn into…this? All he'd wanted to do was mess with Shinichi by switching out the wrapping paper. He hadn't meant to cause this.

"I'm sorry," he croaked, barely managing to get the words out. His throat felt like it had collapsed in on itself and refused to let any words pass. Giving up on speech, he leaned forward and hugged the detective to him, burying his head in the soft locks of hair.

Shinichi slumped against him, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Dammit, why do you have to be so goddamn lovable?" He whispered, hand clenching in the material of his jacket.

Kaito quirked a feeble grin. "I'll find your wrapping paper. No one has to know that you're connected to either Kid or Kaito. That okay?"

Shinichi nodded against his chest. "I'm sorry," he spoke, voice muffled.

"I'll deal. You're right, after all. I'm a thief and you're a detective. We can't get around that. But that doesn't mean we can't have our fun, just so long as no one else finds out, right?"

"Right."

--

**Okay, I'm not sure how I did this. I was **_**supposed**_** to be writing a humorous/fluffy little piece. HOW DID ANGST GET IN THERE!? Anyway, I hope you liked it!**


	7. Colors

Colors

Kaito blanched at the sight of his boyfriend's closet. How could Shinichi _wear_ these horrific things!? Was that a yellow suit jacket? Kaito closed his eyes in mortification. How was it possible that _his_ boyfriend could have such a lousy fashion sense!?

Oh, he had no doubt that Shinichi would manage to make the suit jacket look good, that was just the way Shinichi was, but _still_! Why in god's name would Shinichi _buy_ such a god awful thing? Heck, why would anyone even make that…that _disgrace_ to fashion?

He shook his head, hopefully helping to erase the burning imprint that jacket, among other things, had left. He had to do something about this.

He dashed quickly downstairs to where his apparently color-blind boyfriend was and proceeded to proclaim loudly, "Guess what, Shin-chan? We're going shopping! _Now_!"

Shinichi jerked, apparently in surprise at his voice, before glaring up at him. "Hell no. I've learned my lesson about shopping with you and I'll never do it again. _Ever_." He swore.

Kaito frowned. "Shinichi, you may think yourself perfectly capable of shopping for yourself, but believe me, you're not! Oh, sure, you may be mature enough or whatever to live on your own, but you _clearly_ are not capable of shopping on your own. So, I'm here to bless you with my wonderful presence and get you clothing that is fit to be seen in public…and maybe some that isn't so fit to be seen in public," he leered.

Shinichi blushed adorably. "No," he shook his head, "there's no way I'm going shopping with you, especially not clothes shopping. Besides, my clothes aren't that bad."

Kaito gave him a flat stare. "Would you prefer I buy your clothing for you? Do you really want to risk giving up your right to rejection when it comes to the clothing I pick out?"

"No?" Shinichi groaned. "Can't you just…not buy me clothes at all?"

"Certainly. If you'd prefer to be left with no clothes once I burn all those nightmares you have upstairs, then yes, that would be quite permissible."

"Bu – ? You are _not_ burning my clothes! Hell, you're not even allowed _near _a fire in my house!"

"But Shin-chan!" Kaito whined, crossing his arms. "The fire doesn't have to be _in_ the house! One way or another, those clothes are going to be gone. Now, do you want more or not? I have to say that I'm quite partial to the idea of you not having any clothes."

Shinichi glared, but a sudden smirk lit his face. "Really? And here I thought you'd want to keep that image for yourself. Willing to share me with the rest of the world now, are you?"

Kaito frowned immediately. "I could always lend you my clothes for when we leave the house. Then you'd think of me every time you breathed in!"

"Only if I smelled the clothes, weirdo. And I don't exactly do that on a regular basis. Just so you know."

"Well, whatever. Do you want clothes or not?"

The detective sighed. "Fine. Let's go. But I _do_ have the right to veto any clothing I don't approve of, got it?"

"Of course," Kaito practically sang, a devious smirk on his face. He was going to have fun with this.


	8. Peace

**In tribute to John Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980) because I'm a huge Beatles fan/nerd.**

Peace

Conan sighed dejectedly, letting the door to the Kudo Mansion fall shut silently as he settled himself on the couch. Everywhere he went, death and tragedy seemed to follow him around. Why him? It wasn't like he'd ever asked for it or done anything to deserve the trail of bodies that dropped in front of him like lovers. All he'd ever asked of the world was to be the world's greatest detective.

He wasn't there yet, but he was still pretty good. And yet, the only cases that seemed to come his way involved the absolute worst of people. Surrounded by these things, day after day, he didn't even know what to expect from society anymore. His only comprehension of "good" was "not bad". In other words, anyone but the people he constantly ran into on his cases. It didn't matter what you'd done. If you hadn't murdered anyone, you were okay in his book.

From what he'd picked up of how Ran viewed the world, that wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to think of things like that. But…that was just how things were in his mind. There were terrible people out there: drug dealers, rapists, child abusers, but somehow, he just couldn't see them on the same level as killers. It didn't make sense. Certainly, they were just as bad, if not worse, but…they didn't kill. Their victims still had a chance to recover, a chance to live that murder victims were deprived of.

He was so tired of seeing people deprived of living.

So deep in his thoughts was he that he was taken completely by surprise when warm arms slid around him and a cold nose buried itself in his neck, causing him to jump slightly.

"I heard you ran into another murder," a smooth voice murmured. "I thought you could use a hug."

Conan sighed. "I'm so tired to seeing people die. Isn't this supposed to be the season of peace, love, and happiness? Why can't the murders just stop for _one_ goddamn _day_!?"

Slowly, the one behind him drew back slightly and began to sing in a soft tone, "~Imagine there's no countries ~ It isn't hard to do ~ Nothing to kill or die for ~ And no religion too ~ Imagine all the people ~ Living life in peace~" He hummed a bit of the chorus before trailing off into silence, arms tightening around Conan. "Just for once," he said, "allow yourself to live in the illusion of peace and a happy world."

Conan sighed, leaning back against him. "I'll try," he vowed quietly.

--

_**Imagine**_** lyrics accredited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney.**

**I know it was a bit darker than normal, but I hope you liked it anyway.**


	9. Snow Angels

Snow Angels

"Shiiin-chaaaaan!" The high pitched shriek echoed around the school yard. Eyes turned toward the person in question, who shrunk back in mortification. Ran glanced back at him, an amused smirk on her face.

"Have fun, 'Shin-chan'!" She sang out mockingly, sauntering off with Sonoko.

Shinichi gave his long time friend a dark look at the betrayal. With her gone, he was left with no one to hide behind and no means of guarding against the heavy weight that bowelled into him at high speeds. "Hiya, Shin-chan!" A voice screeched in his ear.

"Get off of me," Shinichi demanded. The weight complied and a young brunette whose face was almost identical to his own strolled into his view. "What are you doing here, Kaito? You should've only just gotten out of school and the campus is across town from here. Don't tell me you ditched again?"

"Only last period," Kaito shrugged. "It's not like we were doing anything important."

"Of course not," Shinichi rolled his eyes, ignoring the looks he was getting from curious classmates who wondered why he was associating with such a strange student from another school who had just attacked him. "So, why'd you bother skipping and coming here? It's not like there's anything significant happening."

"Oh, but there is, my dear Shin-chan! C'mon, lemme show you!" Kaito snagged his arm and bodily dragged him away from the snickering students.

He stopped when they reached a park where the recently-fallen snow remained undisturbed. Without any sort of explanation, he threw himself into the snow and rolled around. "C'mon, Shin-chan! Let's make snow angels!"

Shinichi shot him a disdainful look. "I don't see why I should have to lay on the cold, wet snow, just so you can amuse yourself by waving your arms around a bit."

"Psh. Waving your arms around is for amateurs. I'll show you a _real_ snow angel!" Kaito declared.

Shinichi sighed. "And what will you do when the snow melts on your clothes and gets you all wet? You know you hate being cold."

"Well then," Kaito gave him a shark-like grin, "I guess you'll just have to warm me up, won't you? In the mean time, loosen up a bit, Shin-chan! Join me down here and have some fun before we get to the warming up part," he invited.

"Oh, what the hell. Why not?" Shinichi grinned faintly, dropping to the ground next to his easily-amused boyfriend. If playing around like this helped Kaito get rid of some extra energy, who was he to complain? Besides, he was kind of looking forward to the 'after' part.


	10. Snowmen

Snowmen

"How," Shinichi began slowly, voice slightly muffled in the folds of his scarf, "did you manage to make the Kaitou Kid out of purely snow? Those details should not be possible to make without other substances."

"Oh, Shin-chan," Kaito clucked his tongue in disappointment, somehow comfortable in the cold weather wearing only a thin sweater for warmth. "You're much too logical. You should know by now that some things simply don't conform to the laws of the universe as you'd like them to."

"And snow is one of these things, is it?" Shinichi sneered.

"Only sometimes. Conformity in and of itself is one of those exceptions, though, so obviously not _all_ the snow would be that way, only some of it."

"Right. And that some wouldn't just because you've gotten your hands on it, would it?" He shivered slightly. Snow was nice and beautiful and all that, but _why_ did it only have to appear when it was too ungodly cold to appreciate it? Well, unless you were Kaito, that is. Apparently.

"Only because I'm good at finding the anomalies," Kaito explained in a tone suggesting he was teaching an intellectual inferior a matter of great importance.

Shinichi frowned in irritation. "Never mind. I don't care. _You_ may exist outside the realms of normality, but I will happily stay inside the walls, thanks."

"See, that's exactly what I _don't_ like about normality!" Kaito exclaimed, "the walls! They're so confining! Why should I or anything else be trapped inside such a dull prison?" He spread his arms wide, spinning in the snow and sending waves of it scattering around his feet. "Besides," he noted, turning back to face Shinichi, "you're not exactly normal yourself, lovely Shin-chan. You may not be aware, but running into murders everywhere is not actually normal. It is, in fact, quite abnormal. Therefore, those walls you imagine around yourself are simply imaginary barriers you cast around yourself. After all," he grinned widely, prowling up to the detective, who was looking more and more annoyed with each passing second, "you understand me, don't you? I assure you, there's nothing normal about _that_! So…why not enjoy our mutual…abnormality, hmm?"

Shinichi gave him a flat look. "You," he deadpanned, "are a _complete_ idiot." His statement was undermined, however, by the slight amusement dancing in his eyes. Maybe he should join Kaito in the ranks of illogicality. The 'normal' world was getting boring anyway.

--

**Okay, how I got this out of snowmen, I'm not sure, but I kind of like it. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	11. Sugar

Sugar

Shinichi was not having a good day. In fact, his day was beginning to look downright miserable. His day was probably being made worse because of the arguments that broke out when he snapped at someone. Ran, despite being hot tempered, had refrained from fighting with him and had even tried to make excuses for his attitude, but even she had eventually given up with a growl that he should just knock himself out and sleep it off since he'd obviously woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Or he's PMSing," Sonoko muttered darkly.

Shinichi glared at her. Sonoko's snide remarks aside, though, maybe there was some truth to that. He'd been kind of grouchy since he'd woken up – alone. Maybe that was the problem. He'd somehow gotten used to sleeping with another person there. In their absence, he'd had a hard time sleeping soundly and had just felt generally lousy all day long.

And why had he been alone? Because that idiot Kaito had gotten himself grounded for eating too much sugar and breaking something at home. Right now, Shinichi hated sugar with a passion. So much so, in fact, that the cute little candy canes that had been strewn around his house had found themselves crushed to pieces and at the bottom of his trashcan.

He sighed. Maybe it would be best just to cut school for the rest of the day, rather than risk an all-out brawl breaking out because of him. Really, it wasn't his fault he was so good at coming up with insults without bringing himself down to the level of cussing people out. And if he made people feel stupid, well…they did say the truth could hurt at times, didn't they?

At any rate, he was sick and tired of dealing with people right now. With a wave at Ran, he quickly left the classroom before the teacher could protest. He'd probably get an earful tomorrow about that, but he'd probably be getting one anyway for his attitude and whatnot.

Until then…freedom! Well, sort of anyway. If he could keep a body from cropping up somewhere or some random purse-snatcher from getting in his way, that is. If he could do that, his afternoon would be quite pleasant and, most importantly, away from the world and the destruction he could wreak upon it.

Honestly, how had he been bested by something as insignificant as _sugar_!?

Maybe the gods hated him. That would explain a lot right now.

If he were lucky – which wasn't all that likely, given his record, actually – maybe they'd deign to give him a break and have Kaito pop out of nowhere like he so often did. Kaito being here would really make him feel better.


	12. Red

Red

His first response upon seeing the invitation was an exasperated sigh. "You've _got _to be kidding," he muttered to himself, setting the rest of his mail aside. The invitation, appearing totally professional and not in the least bit personal, though he knew who it was really from, advertised the christening of the large, newly discovered gemstone that was being used as the icon for a huge race the owner was hosting.

Car racers from all over the country had been invited to join in on the fun and notable people – politicians, celebrities, no doubt his parents would be receiving an invite as well – from everywhere were being asked to attend the huge race.

The huge race that just so happened to hold the target of Kid's next heist. And Kid, being the show-off that he was, arranged for Shinichi to receive an invitation. How sweet of him, Shinichi thought sardonically. He sighed. It wasn't like he could turn down the invitation, not when Kid was potentially going to be risking his neck doing something very stupid.

Why, oh why, did he have to care what happened to the idiotic thief?

--

The turn out was actually quite impressive, really. There were a lot of famous people with whom he socialized – well, socialized as well as he was capable of…which wasn't much really, but at least he made an effort – but he couldn't seem to find Kid yet. In a situation like this, he'd either be somewhere inaccessible by a mere guest like him, in which case he'd be wearing some form of identifying jewelry or some such somewhere on his person, or he'd make an effort to subtly mingle with Shinichi, in which case the detective could easily pick him out. Thus far, though, he hadn't noticed anyone wearing anything clover or monocle related and none of those with whom he spoke had rung a bell. He frowned. Where was Kid and what on earth was he planning?

The speakers crackled slightly, before a loud, clear voice echoed through the crowd. "_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Grand Prix, held in honor of our lovely sapphire! Now, to introduce the contestants!_

"_Racer number one, riding in the pristine, black Mercedes, Horio Takeshi!_

"_Racer number two, riding in the sleek, green Chevy, Tendo Kazuki!_

"_Racer number three, riding in the niiiice red Thunderbird, Hideyoshi Shouta!_" The announcer went on to name racer after racer, but Shinichi tuned him out, staring at "Hideyoshi Shouta". Of course, Kid would put himself right in the middle of the action, wouldn't he? Come to think of it, did Kid even know how to drive? Hopefully, seeing as the car he was driving was worth a pretty penny and this race was something of an honor to be a part of. They had class. If a driver couldn't drive, he'd probably be kicked out on his ass for disappointing the crowd.

"_And they're off!_" The announcer shouted, bringing his attention back to the race. The cars shot off, race number seven taking a fast lead. He focused in on car three, watching the bright red spectacle weave its way between cars one and five, spin slightly on a sharp turn, edge up towards the lead, fall back when he hit the next turn, veer wildly off to the side when car four sharply cut him off, get the T-bird under control, slam on the gas and go shooting off beside number four, take a wide turn, and score in third place when the racers hit the finish line.

In the stands, Shinichi forced himself to take a much needed breath. If he hadn't had the scare of his life when Kaito went spinning off like that, he didn't know what could possibly cause a bigger reaction in him. Knuckles white, he pushed away from the railing he'd been leaning against and pushed his way through the crowd, ready to just get out of there before the chaos hit. With any luck, his heart rate would be back to normal before Kaito came looking for him, no doubt seeking flattery and praise for his risky ploy. He'd have the jewel in hand of course, Shinichi had no doubt about that. His thief was the best one around, there was no way that sapphire would slip through his grasp.

Kaito caught up with him sooner than expected, grabbing his arm and spinning him around, unmindful of the other people in the parking lot, leaving early in hopes of missing the traffic jam that was sure to result. "So," he asked, grinning, still wearing the careful disguise of racer Hideyoshi Shouta, "what'd ya think?"

Shinichi closed his eyes, choosing his words carefully. He didn't want to create a scene, after all, and shouting at him over his idiocy would be sure to cause one. "Where'd you get a T-bird, anyway?" He noticed Kaito's grin dim slightly and felt almost guilty, but what could he do? Congratulate the brat for scaring the wits out of him?

"I have my resources. Did you enjoy the race?" He asked, demanded really, seeking something, possibly approval from his hard-to-please lover.

"I – yeah, I guess. It was interesting," Shinichi said, not quite a lie, but not exactly truthful to what he was feeling at the moment. "Congratulations. You drive pretty well…for the most part."

Kaito preened. "Don't I? It was so much fun, too!" Shinichi sighed, allowing him his moment of excitement. "So, want me to give you a ride home? I saw you come in a cab. It'd be a waste to make you pay for another one."

"Alright," Shinichi agreed. Kaito was the one with the hot ride, after all.

Kaito grabbed his wrist and tugged him through the crowd, back towards where his car was. Shinichi got the feeling that if Kid weren't so damned dedicated to playing his part properly, he'd be bouncing with joy. His lover really was so simple-minded at times. If he weren't, though, it'd be so much harder to make him happy and, even if it scared him like it did today, Shinichi would go through almost anything to keep his lover happy.


	13. White

**Based largely on Movie 3: Last Wizard of the Century. If you haven't seen it, it might not make as much sense. Actually, if you haven't seen it, you should go do so right now. It's awesome.**

White

Admittedly, Conan had been looking forward to this Kid heist maybe a little more than he should've been. But he couldn't really help it. He'd only recently come to terms with his…affection for the thief, and this was the first chance he'd had to see him since then.

So if Hattori questioned him about the sparkle in his eye when they arrived in Osaka for the Memories Egg heist, well, he was just excited for the challenge. Really.

Kid's riddle was more difficult than it usually was when he sent messages to the police. Had he known that multiple detectives would be involved in the chase this time? But how could he have known that when he was writing the heist note?

Had Kid manipulated this whole thing in order to get more detectives involved or something? It was possible. Kid was certainly capable of it.

However, none of that mattered now. What mattered was the fact that they'd just figured out when the heist was and they had less than ten minutes to find Kid and stop him from getting the Egg.

He took off on his skateboard, heading toward the weather tower Hattori had said Kid would be coming from, all the while looking for the mysterious hiding spot Nakamori-keibu had put the Egg at. Soon, he was able to spot the white bird in the air and follow it as best he could.

With Hattori's help, he got to the warehouse Nakamori had employed just in time to catch Kid making his escape with the Egg. Kid turned with a smirk when he shouted his name and shot an Ace of Spades at him. An Ace of Spades that exploded into a puff of pink gas, thankfully not sleeping gas this time. Seriously, what was it with Kid and pink?

Shaking these thoughts from his head, he scaled down the wall and gave chase with Hattori in tow. They determined Kid was using the wind to head towards Osaka Harbor to land just before Hattori dodged a large truck and lost control of the bike, sending him slamming against the asphalt. After making sure he was okay and getting told in no uncertain terms not to let Kid get away, he continued after Kid on his skateboard when…

He couldn't hear the shot, but the reverberating clang the shell made when it hit the pavement…that sound would haunt him, along with the image of Kid plummeting down through the sky.

Heart in his throat, he sped towards him, denials already chasing each other around his head. He reached the harbor, hoping against hope to find Kid, only to be met with the sight of a small, injured white dove, the broken wooden box with the Memories Egg still safely inside, and Kid's – oh god, please no – monocle, shattered. The glass wasn't broken from the impact with the concrete. The break wasn't right for that. No, something had hit it directly, causing it to crack and shatter, removing Kid's prized monocle from his face.

Conan swallowed the barrage of emotions welling up in his throat. No, Kid couldn't be dead. There's no way the notorious Kaitou Kid would be taken out that easily, no way in hell.

'Oh, Kami-sama, please,' he prayed, 'please let him be alright.' He cradled the dove in his jacket and clutched the monocle in his hand, unmindful of the jagged glass that cut into his palm.

Juggling his phone, the monocle, and the dove, he managed to call the police and relay the situation to them. A search was ordered, with Nakamori himself on the lead boat, but…Kid was still an escape artist, no matter how injured he may have been. He wouldn't allow the police to find him, even if he desperately needed the help, would he?

Conan swallowed. He knew the answer to that. Kid would never let himself get caught. He'd demonstrated before that he'd rather risk his life than face capture. But…

He shook his head, trying to fight off tears that were begging to fall. He absolutely had to do something, even if it meant acting against the police a little. Besides, hadn't Nakamori himself said that he'd rather Kid be free than dead? After all, capturing a corpse holds no weight against the uncatchable reputation on Kid.

He pulled out a handkerchief and carefully placed the broken monocle in it, sliding it into his pocket. Then, shedding his coat, he rewrapped the poor dove in it and nestled him in the corner of the boat cabin, next to the Memories Egg. With these things done, he ran out of the cabin and snuck past the police officers that were scanning the dark waters. This wouldn't work. If Kid had been killed immediately, they would've found his body by now. Therefore, Kid had to have survived at least long enough to get himself somewhere the police wouldn't think to look. Or wouldn't be able to look, maybe. After all, a police boat wouldn't be able to get close enough to that crevice in the rocks over there to see if Kid was in there, would they?

Conan's smirk was merely a shadow of its usual self, but it was there. He had hope and he was going to use it to find Kid, no matter what. Because, even if he was a thief, no one deserved to die and he wouldn't forgive anyone who tried to take another's life. And, well, he _may_ have felt this situation was rather personal, because of his feelings for Kid, but that didn't matter. A life was a life, and he'd do all he could to save it, no matter whose it was.

In any case, he wouldn't get anything done standing here on the boat. He quickly checked around him to make sure there were no police officers that could see him before nicking a life vest and jumping ship. The water was freezing, chilling him to the bone, and the thought that Kid had fallen into this water, probably with a bad injury, made his blood run cold. Fortune was supposed to favor fools and thieves, wasn't it? And Kid was undoubtedly both. So why did fate have to be so cruel as to put him through things like this?

With shivers racking his body, Conan swam closer to the crevice. If Kid wasn't there, then he would be in trouble. The police wouldn't notice his absence and they'd move on soon enough. With the water so cold, it wouldn't take too long before he became numb. If that happened and Kid wasn't here, he'd probably come out of this much worse for wear…if he came out at all. On the other hand, if Kid was here, he definitely needed help. He was already here anyway, there was nothing he could do but press forward and fight against the frigid waves.

Finally, _finally_ he reached the crevice and was able to pull himself up onto the small expanse of dry land he found. It was dark, and there was no sign of Kid, but if he was hiding, there wouldn't be, would there?

"Kid?" He called softly, "I'm not here to capture you, I promise. I just want to help. I know you got shot and I know you need medical attention. Please, I won't turn you in. I want to help." Honestly, he was feeling kind of foolish, talking to nothing. Still, if there was even a chance that Kid would respond… "Please, Kid. You need help."

There was nothing for a long moment, just silence in which he shivered profusely and rubbed his hands over his arms. Then, there was a slight movement to his left and a weak voice spoke. "turn on your watch-light, Tantei-kun," he invited.

Conan clicked the light on as instructed and shone it in the direction the voice had come from, aiming the beam towards the ground so as not to blind the thief. He breathed in harshly. The white fabric of Kid's suit was covered in blood. He walked forward, slowly, cautiously, so as not to prompt Kid into flight. "Where were you hit?" He asked through chattering teeth.

"You won't believe me," Kid's wispy voice responded, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Now's hardly the time for joking around, Kid. Where were you hit?"

"My right eye." Conan was silent and Kid chuckled weakly. "See, you don't believe me. How could I have survived after taking a hit like that?"

"You…that's impossible." Conan choked, bringing his watch up for the light to show Kid's face. Blood poured from his right eye, covering half his face in dark, sticky liquid. And yet, he was alive, sitting before Conan. "How – "

"Magic, of course. How else?"

"But…" Conan began to refute the ridiculous claim, but stopped himself. What did it matter how Kid had survived? The fact was that he had, but with the amount of blood he was losing, he might not for much longer. "Whatever. We need to stop the blood." Discarding his life preserver, he pulled his shirt off, baring his chest to the frosty wind. It was better than keeping the wet garment on him, though, and he needed something to staunch the blood with. He crept closer to Kid, holding his hands before him. "Will you let me help?"

Kid chuckled darkly. "I don't have much choice, do I?" He smiled, his lips covered with blood. "Do your worst, Nurse Edogawa."

Conan frowned, shooting him a glare, but pressed the wet cloth to Kid's eye, applying enough pressure to staunch the blood flow, but hopefully not enough to inflict more pain on him. "Do you have anything that can serve as a bandage?" He asked. "All I have left are my pants and those won't do much good."

Was that a giggle? It was. Kid had just giggled. _Why_ had Kid just giggled when his was dying from a wound that should've already killed him?

While he was contemplating this, an arm wrapped lightly around his waist and pulled him closer. "Are you sure you don't just want to take your pants off for me, Tantei-kun~?" He sang into Conan's ear. His jaw dropped. He was – Why the hell was Kid fooling around right now!? Didn't he have any sense of self-preservation?

"I-idiot! Stop messing around! Do you want to die or something?"

Kid grinned, but released his waist. "You can use my cape to form a makeshift bandage."

Good, he was back on task. Quickly, he followed Kid's directions and tore strips off, winding them around Kid's head and over the wound. "Frankly, I don't know how the hell you're still alive, but regardless, you should see a doctor. The police will probably give up their search soon, so you'll be able to leave and get to safety. Oh, and you probably already know this, but make sure to drink lots of juice to help replenish your fluids." With those words, he turned his back on the thief and strapped the life jacket on, ready to jump back into the freezing water and return to the police boat. However, before he could go anywhere, Conan was pulled back against a firm chest. Face bright red, he felt Kid's breath curl against his ear as he whispered his gratitude.

"Baka. Just recover quickly. I'll be coming to your next heist, so you'd better not disappoint me."

"Of course."


	14. Fire

Fire

When Shinichi walked into his house, he was horrified to see Kaitou Kid lounging – in mid-air – in his library , juggling seven bright red candles. _Lit_ candles.

"What are you doing!?" He yelled, rushing forward to grab wildly for the candles.

"Tut, tut, Tantei-kun," Kid admonished, waving his finger in Shinichi's face and continuing the juggling pattern with one hand without a pause. "You should know better than to do that. What if you'd burned yourself?"

"_You're_ scolding _me_ when _you're_ the one juggling _fire_ in _my_ house!?" Shinichi exclaimed, incredulously. "You are unbelievable!"

"Why thank you, my dear Tantei0kun, but really, you shouldn't get so worked up about it. It's not as if I don't know what I'm doing."

"And if you make a mistake a drop one? Or, hell, burn yourself? What then? If you set my library on fire, I _will_ kill you. And bring you back to buy me a new Sherlock Holmes collection.  
His words were completely solemn and serious, but there was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes and, unexpectedly, he made another grab for the candles. This time, he even managed to grasp one, but the lighted wick burned his index finger. With a yelp, he dropped the candle and watched in fear as it tumbled towards the wooden floor.

Miraculously, Kid snatched the burning candle out of the air and extinguished the light immediately. "Jeez, Tantei-kun," Kid began, making the other candles vanish into thing air, "you did exactly what I warned you not to do. Give me your hand." He held out his own hand and Shinichi gingerly set his hand in Kid's. Kid brought it up to his face, examining it closely. "You didn't burn it too badly, it seems." He grinned suddenly, a mischievous smirk, and leaned forward to lave him tongue over the burn. Shinichi jerked in surprise and tugged his hand away, eyes wide. Before he could move very far, though, Kid's gaze pierced his and something…something made him stay and allow Kid to draw his finger into his mouth.

Kid sucked gently at the digit, his tongue wrapping around it, eyes closed. Shinichi stared and his own eyes seemed unable to regain their usual shape and size, even as his breathing quickened and the erotic image of Kid sucking his finger like that imprinted itself in his mind.

Oh God, this would come back to haunt him in his dreams. And, frighteningly, he wasn't so sure those dreams would be nightmares. A shiver ran up his spine and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

Eventually – it seemed like an eternity to Shinichi, but it reality, it was hardly a minute – Kid released his finger and drew back, eyes sliding open and a pleased smirk on his face. "Does it still hurt?" Kid asked, his voice husky.

Shinichi had to clear his throat multiple times before his voice box decided to cooperate with him. As he tried to respond, though, he realized that no, it didn't hurt any longer. He brought his hand up to stare at it in shock. How the hell could saliva make the pain go away?

Kid smirked at him, apparently taking his answer from Shinichi's actions. "Now then," he began, drawing Shinichi attention back to him, "aren't you curious as to why I came here in the first place?"

"Um. Yes?" Shinichi blinked, his thought processes still in reboot mode.

"Then I'll have to answer you, won't I?" Kid slid a gloved hand up to clasp Shinichi's injured one and drew it down, using it as leverage to pull Shinichi closer so that he could plant his lips firmly against the detective's.


	15. Elves

Elves

"Here you go, kid. It's a present made just for you by Santa!" Kaito exclaimed, giving the seven year old boy a hand-made train engine. He was currently wearing bright green clothing and big shoes that more resembled a jester than an elf, as he claimed to be. He backed up the claim, however, by adding on fake pointed ears. Very real fake pointed ears.

As a matter of fact, Shinichi had found out just real they seemed when Nakamori-san had grabbed Kaito by the ear to "teach him a lesson about pawning off gifts onto little kids" and tugged his head backwards. They'd all been startled by the shrill yell of pain from the boy, although things had gotten a little weird when the ears had started _talking_. On the other hand, the ears _were_ attached to Kaito. Maybe it wasn't so weird that they'd be able to do such things. Either that or Kaito had mastered the art of ventriloquism and could pretend to be his ear while alternately conversing with both Aoko and Shinichi. Hakuba, on the other hand, had only been responded to by the ear.

Shinichi shook his head. Kaito was _bizarre_. Sweet, lovable, affectionate, adorable, and a whole array of other things, but _weird_. Not that Shinichi minded. His other qualities more than balanced out his strangeness and many of those other attributes were only displayed for Shinichi. Hakuba could have all the talking ear he wanted. That was all he'd ever get.

Shinichi smiled to himself, wrapping a possessive arm around his boyfriend. "So," he asked when all the children crowding around them had dispersed. "Does Santa have a special present for me, too?" He asked, leaning closer to "Santa's little worker".

Kaito grinned at him, sending a look of amusement at Nakamori and Hakuba, who had suddenly found themselves completely immersed in examining the floor. "As a matter of fact," he said, leaning forward as well until his lips brushed against Shinichi's own as he spoke, "Santa does have something for you. However, as it's on special order from me, you're just going to have to wait until Christmas." With that, he pulled back, a mischievous smirk gracing his features, and skipped off to find more kids and unload the bag of hand-made gifts from his back.

Shinichi frowned, but followed along indulgently. At least Kaito wasn't making him wear a Santa costume. It was a shame Hakuba had flat out refused to wear it, though. He wouldn't have minded to bonus entertainment value.

Still, he supposed this was enough. It was nice to spend an afternoon with his friends. Besides, Kaito had promised more for later.


	16. Baby

AU

Baby

"Look, look, Shin-chan! It's our baby!"

"That's a rat, Kaito. And no, you can't adopt it."

"No, really, Shin-chan, it's our baby! I'm sure of it this time!"

"Wonderful. So, 'this time' our 'baby' is a ferret? Is there something you'd like to tell me, Kaito?"

Kaito laughed, shaking his head. "But isn't it just so cute, Shin-chan? Don't you just want to take him home with you?"

Shinichi gave a bland look to the magician, who was plastered against the ferret cage. "No thanks. I've already got one baby to take care of. What would I do with another one?"

Kaito turned to him, eyes wide with a build up of tears. "Eh? D-does that mean you cheated on me and had a baby with Ran-chan? No way! How could you, Shin-chan!"

"What? No! I was talking about _you_, idiot! You're the baby I'm always stuck looking after! I wouldn't – I'm not – "

Kaito continued on a new tangent, without a care for Shinichi, who was still fumbling with his words, or from the stares he was receiving from the workers and clientele alike. "Then, does that mean you never want to have a baby with me? But what about our future, Shin-chan! Don't you want to pass on the legacy of our beautiful faces to continue on!?"

"I – what – _that isn't even physically possible, idiot!!_" He exploded. When some of the guests around them started laughing, he grabbed Kaito by the wrist and dragged him from the pet store, face bright red. "Way to create a scene, moron. And what are you going on about with our faces?"

"Well, they're beautiful, aren't they? Wouldn't it be cool to have miniatures with our faces running around, creating havoc?"

Shinichi shuddered. "Oh hell no. I think you do enough damage to the world as it is without having a miniature clone running around. I admit, I like kids well enough, but I don't really want one of my own. I mean, with all the cases I run into, I doubt I'd find the time to properly take care of it. Besides, I know what it's like to grow up running into corpses all over the place. That's not something I want to inflict on any child."

"Really? But they'd be kind of fun, wouldn't they? The only way we could have a kid would be with someone else, though. And I don't want you sleeping with anyone else. Guess that means I'd have to be the one to make a baby, huh?"

"I don't think so," Shinichi glared.

Kaito laughed, wrapping a possessive arm around his boyfriend. "I guess we're stuck being childless then."

Something caught Shinichi's eye. "Maybe not. Look, those kids over there look like they could use some help. If they like you, maybe you could adopt them. Temporarily, anyway. It wouldn't be too bad to have children around from time to time."

"Let's do it!" He dragged Shinichi along, shouting out to the kids. "You look like you kids could use a hand. I'm Kuroba Kaito and this here's Kudo Shinichi. You mind if we help you out?"

"Ah, thank you very much!" They bowed. "I'm Yoshida Ayumi, and this is Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko-kun and Kojima Genta-kun."


	17. Tree

Tree

If anyone asked later – not that they could, really. In order to ask, they'd have to find him first – he really had done it on purpose. After all, there was no way Kaitou Kid had been distracted by something long enough to lose control of his glider and crash headlong into a tree. Nope, not a chance, right?

Okay, so maybe his poker face had slipped a bit, and the tree really had been a lot harder than anything he'd plan on slamming his face into, but the task force didn't need to know that! As far as they were concerned, it was Kid's way of mocking them by saying that a tree had more of a chance of catching him than they did.

Boy, did that tree catch him good, though. And _painfully_. As a matter of fact, he probably wouldn't be able to look squarely at a tree for a long time to come. It didn't help that Jii was going to go crazy over the lacerations all over his face, both from the tree and from the glass of the broken monocle. At least he'd caught the eye-piece. He'd never forgive himself if he lost Dad's heirloom to the hands of nosy detectives like that prat Hakuba.

Speaking of detectives and their ability to distract him so thoroughly…_why_ had Kudo Shinichi been wearing something that shouldn't even be legal, much less worn outside the bedroom? Had he lost a bet or something? That had to be it, because there was no way the detective of the east he knew would willingly wear such a thing, _especially_ to a public spectacle like a Kid heist.

It _had_ been nice, though, hadn't it? Shinichi probably didn't realize just how much someone could see when they were really looking. And oh, was Kid ever looking. And enjoying, _veeery_ much.

He did wish Kudo could've worn those clothes to a heist with less obstacles in his flight path though. The tree really had been unforgiving to the poor thief. It probably hadn't helped that his brain was more interested in other things than getting untangled from the tree, either.

He'd have to make sure he went back later and stole the film from all the cameras that may have caught his embarrassing landing. And, well, if any of them had caught footage of the detective…_well_.


	18. Expensive

**Sequel to the last chapter. Hope you like it!**

Expensive

Shinichi really should've known better than to bet against the girls, he really should've. But really, they'd led him right into it. They mentioned a _challenge_ and then a _puzzle_ and really, what was he supposed to do?

What he really wanted to know was where they'd gotten their hands on such a - shudder – _outfit_. He honestly wasn't sure he should call it that, but for want of a better word…

Exactly _where_ did Ran go shopping to come up with a pure silk pole dancing outfit, anyway!? And why – oh gods, _why_!? – had Ai been the one holding it, telling him that they'd made sure it was exactly his size!?

How could there be a size to that thing, anyway? There was hardly enough fabric to constitute a _shirt_, much less pants as well.

Why did the bet also have to include going out in public – to a _Kid Heist_ – in that thing? He was pretty sure he'd never live it down. And the _looks_ he'd gotten! He'd kind of expected to receive odd looks from the police force and he was used to the fangirls – although he could've done without some of the smart-ass comments Hakuba had made asking who had ordered a male prostitute at a Kid heist – but when little old women started giving him that contemplative look…_Ew_.

And to make matters worse, Sonoko and Ran had shoved him into the crowd at one point. He was pretty sure he'd gone deaf from the screaming and he wouldn't be surprised if one of the creepy, stalker fangirls had somehow managed to steal his virginity the way hands had been feeling him up – the outfit really didn't do much to protect his modesty. He was mortified when he stopped by the bathroom and discovered that someone had somehow managed to lodge bills in the non-existent waistline of his practically non-existent pants.

He really hadn't thought he'd survive through the Kid heist with the way things were going. Kid, being who he was, would no doubt take extreme pleasure in focusing a spotlight on him and teasing him for the next year and a half.

He was surprised and relieved, however, when Kid didn't do any of the above, although there was that one part where he'd turned to the task force and asked if they were so bored with him that they needed the extra entertainment. Nakamori had nearly blown out their eardrums with his response, non of which was ever remotely close to being printable and the poor children in the crowd were probably scarred for life – if they hadn't been already from seeing him, anyway.

Something interesting had happened once Kid had made his escape, though. He'd already been down on the ground floor – he'd decided to call it quits and joined Ran in the crowd after the dog pile on the bandit had been a bit misaimed and he'd found himself flattened under a mass of smelly, old police officers – and Kid had just activated his hang glider and was heading off, over the crowd, when he'd bent down to pick up the watch he'd just dropped – something he also really should've known better than to do when he was already wearing so little. Next thing he knew, there was a resounding crash and the police barreled through the crowd, trying to get to a tree a little to the left of where Shinichi had been standing.

How the hell had _Kid_ been so careless as to miss the fact that a giant _tree_ was right in front of him!?

He smirked slightly. Kid was _never_ going to live it down when the footage of all that got on the air. Although…a lot of the cameras had seemed much more interested in _him_, than in Kid, which was quite worrying. His reputation was already down the drain because of this stupid bet, he didn't need his face – not to mention outfit – on national television. Maybe he could go to the television stations with threats to sue if they showed him on TV? But they'd probably argue that if he'd been stupid enough to wear it around town, it shouldn't really matter whether it went on the air or not.

Shinichi bit his lip. Dear gods, what if his _parents_ saw him like this? He'd _never_ live it down. He shook his head. He really, really just wanted to be home right now. The Kid heist was more or less over, anyway. He turned to Ran and began to, as pathetic as it was, _beg_ to be allowed to leave without facing repercussions later – like an extension of the bet, for example.

She gave in, finally, once she'd gotten him groveling on the floor. His dignity was already shot to hell, all he wanted was to get some sleep and forget this ever happened.

Unfortunately, fate didn't seem to want that for him as he had a certain…guest…once he'd gotten home. His guest looked like he'd seen better days, too. He groaned. Did he really want to face Kid in his home, wearing this outfit? It might be better just to walk around naked for all the good the 'clothes' were doing. On the other hand…revealing certain privates to the thief probably wouldn't be a good idea, would it? Kid would probably ask him if he was trying to get naked just for him or something.

With a sigh, he walked into the library and faced Kid full on, cheeks just a little hot at the way Kid's gaze traced his form. "So you really did run into a tree, huh? I'd have thought the Kaitou Kid would know better than that." He wasn't going to bring up the subject of his clothing. Hopefully – though not real likely – Kid wouldn't either.

"We all make mistakes, Tantei-kun. Rather like the mistake _you_ made of bending over…and getting caught on tape." No such luck. And dammit, he'd really have to think of something to do about that film.

"Does that mean you liked it when I bent down?" Shinichi asked out of spite, already hating his mouth for uttering the words by the time they processed through his mind.

"Hmm, yes, I'd say I liked it." Kid smirked. His smirk looked kind of odd when part of his face was covered in small scrapes and his monocle, though he was wearing it, didn't appear to have any glass in it.

Why did Kid's admission make him feel like he'd accomplished something? It really shouldn't have. What did he care if Kid looked at him like…like…

His face caught fire. Kid was looking at him like he was a particularly delectable piece of meat. Kid was not supposed to look at him like that!

"Y-you," he stuttered, not entirely sure what he wanted to say but knowing he had to say _something_ to take that fiery gaze off of him. "D-don't – "

Kid drew closer to him. "Don't what, Tantei-kun?" He asked, his voice smooth and low. Oh gods, there was no way this was happening!

He tried to scamper away from Kid's approaching form, he really did, but somewhere along the line, his legs seem to have turned into jelly and he _couldn't move_, not with Kid looking at him like that and coming closer with every stride. Finally, Kid came close enough that his hands could reach out and rest comfortably on Shinichi's mostly bare waist and push him backwards until his back connected solidly with a bookcase. "I really must wonder," he spoke, breath swirling over Shinichi's ear, "what on earth prompted you to wear such an…interesting outfit."

Shinichi couldn't get his mouth to work properly, couldn't manage to respond, not with Kid's musky scent overwhelming him and making him just the slightest bit dizzy. Or maybe that was because Kid's lips were slowly trailing up his neck, tongue tracing his jaw line. He swallowed, jumping slightly when Kid nipped at his Adam's apple.

This couldn't be happening. Why was he just sitting here, letting this happen!? He was, he was – oh shit, arching his back when Kid's gloved fingers danced over his nipples – he was supposed to be in love with the she-devil that had forced him into these clothes in the first place. He was not supposed to be responding with small gasps and breathy moans when Kid – Kaitou Kid, internationally wanted thief – was leaving burning hickeys all over his throat.

He shocked himself when his hands came up to tangle in Kid's soft hair, dragging the thief's head up to draw their lips together and kiss him with a passion he'd never shown to anyone before. Kid responded, just as fervently, devouring his lips and swallowing moans that never should've been released.

What the hell was he doing!? He should've been unmasking the Kaitou Kid right now, not trying to figure out what type of toothpaste he used! Hell, Kid shouldn't have even been here and he should've been in bed asleep by now.

He didn't care. As a matter of fact, when the door slammed open and Kid vanished into thin air leaving Shinichi leaning against the bookcase, panting with swollen lips and flushed cheeks, he was furious with Ai for interrupting him. It was _her_ fault he was wearing this stupid thing in the first place. Who was she to interrupt when he was finally enjoying something that had come of wearing it!?

For some reason, Ai seemed highly amused at his outburst and he marched upstairs, sulking loudly as the physically seven year old girl totally outmaneuvered him.

Later, he found a beautiful white rose sitting on his window sill, a video cassette and a small note next to it.

_The video contains all the footage caught of you in that tempting outfit. Better be careful – a lot of people would pay a fortune for a copy of it._

_Sincerely,_

_Kaitou Kid_

Shinichi blinked, face heating up at the implication. People wouldn't really _pay_ to see him like this, would they?

Well, it didn't matter. He was going to burn the tape and the outfit together an make sure no one ever saw it. _Ever_.

Too bad he didn't realize that Kid had made his own copies of the tape. What was the point in being a thief if you didn't get something out of it, after all? The tape would probably be fueling his fantasies for a long time to come, along with the memory of the enticing sound Shinichi had made pressed against him. Oh yes, the night had been a good one, even if he still had to face Jii and somehow explain the cuts, both to him and to Hakuba at school tomorrow. Maybe he could say a cat did it?


	19. Savior

Savior

Before Conan, Shinichi had often been referred to as the "Savior of the Police Force". Personally, he thought it was a little exaggerated, even if his ego had sucked up the praise with relish.

He hadn't always been so egotistical, though most people would never guess such a thing. As a matter of fact, he'd been rather insecure as a child, his low self-esteem stemming from having two famous people as his parents. For the longest time, he'd never been recognized as anything but "Kudo Yusaku's son, learning the detective trade from him," or "Fujimine Yukiko's little boy, an adorable child to match the beautiful actress".

He'd hated it. Oh, he loved his parents, but he was forever overshadowed by their reputations. To make up for it, he'd acted the parts, appearing as egotistical as one would expect of a spoiled boy with rich, famous parents. Over time, the role had become habit and it was the only thing he knew, the only part of him that he felt was accepted by the world. When he'd caught the attention of the press and earned nicknames like "Savior of the Police Force" and "Sherlock Holmes of the Modern Era," well…hadn't that been his goal all along? To be recognized by the public as Kudo Shinichi, not as his parents' child?

Except that the world didn't see him as Kudo Shinichi. They say him as the high school detective that would solve all their problems, the one that would come onto the scene and take over for the police, finding the culprit in record time.

He still wasn't Kudo Shinichi, a high school boy. He always kept the fact that this bothered him buried very deeply. After all, anyone who found out would just think he was too cocky, not accepting the fame he'd already come into.

But that wasn't it. He didn't care about the fame, not really. All he wanted was someone to recognize him as himself. He was just Shinichi, with no attachments, even if the world didn't know it.

Conan had been a good experience for him in a way. It gave him a chance to start over with no connotations attached to his name yet. Honestly, he'd had a lot of fun as Conan, solving the cases he'd come across as a helper to the police (or as Sleeping Kogoro, but that was another matter), rather than as their savior. But even with the fun he had, he was still living behind a mask. Edogawa Conan, as close to he was at being Shinichi, still wasn't. He wanted someone to recognize him for himself.

He'd thought that maybe Hattori might provide the recognition, but that hope was quickly slaughtered. Hattori thought of him as a rival, an amazing detective, practically worshipping the ground he walked on. He liked Hattori a lot, but that type of reverence made him extremely uncomfortable. That's not how he was supposed to see Shinichi.

He'd just about given up hope, completely burying the real Shinichi beneath his arrogant personality. Over time, he figured, the real Shinichi would just have to disappear and he'd stop feeling the yearning to be accepted.

Fortunately, someone had stepped in before it was too late and pulled Shinichi from the depths of that overbearing egotistical façade. That someone had tried to find who it was behind the detective and managed to worm their way into the real Shinichi's heart.

"Ne, Kaito?" He'd asked once when they'd been relaxing against each other on the couch in the Kudo library, enjoying a chance to enjoy themselves without heists or cases interfering, "what prompted you to look past the detective, anyway?"

Kaito had blinked at him in confusion for a long while, probably baffled by his word choice, but he seemed to catch the drift after a while and gifted Shinichi with a beautiful smile. "I wanted to know who it was that could see through my tricks with those blue, blue eyes," he said simply. "I wanted to know who could look at a dead body and only feel anger at the loss of life. I wanted to know who could see the worst of people all the time and still believe in the goodness in the world. I wanted to know how it was that you caught my eye and challenged me again and again, without ever giving up. I wanted to know you." He shrugged lightly, pulling Shinichi closer and nuzzling his nose into the crook of his neck. "And I got to, didn't I?"

Shinichi burrowed his hands in Kaito's hair, adding a silent _thank god_ onto the thief's comment. If Kaito hadn't found Shinichi when he did, he may never have gotten the chance to.

To the rest of the world, Shinichi may appear to be the savior, but to him, Kaito was the only savior his world needed.


	20. Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells

Seeing Shinichi dance around the library, humming the tune of _Jingle Bells_ – highly off-key, but still recognizable – was enough to make Kaito pause before pouncing on his somewhat reluctant lover.

Since when did _Shinichi_ dance? It just wasn't heard of.

"Hey, Shin-chan, you okay there? You don't have a fever or something, do you?" Kaito asked, daring to step into the room.

Shinichi turned towards him with a little spin, hazy blue eyes lighting up and a grin spreading across his face. "Kai-chan~!" He called happily, bounding forward to wrap his arms around the stunned thief.

"Wha – " Kaito's jaw dropped. Not that he wasn't enjoying having the detective pressed up against him, but _what the hell was going on here_!? His Tantei-kun _never_ did things like this, unfortunately.

Shinichi pressed his face to Kaito's neck, nibbling lightly and making Kaito choke on whatever he was about to say.

It didn't _feel_ like Shinichi had a fever, but certainly something was wrong. It just didn't make sense for him to act like this when he was always pushing Kaito away when the thief invaded his personal space. It saddened Kaito that he had to work so hard to get close to the detective, but it had all become part of the thrill and the challenge. So for Shinichi to be acting like this…well, something just wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" Shinichi asked, words slurring slightly.

It took a few minutes for Kaito to form words properly, especially when Shinichi returned to making a snack out of his neck. When he finally got his mouth working right, however, he pushed Shinichi away from him, shook his shoulders and asked what was wrong with the detective.

Shinichi stared up at him, uncomprehendingly. "What are you talking about?"

"You're acting weird!" Kaito accused.

Shinichi frowned. "What's wrong with the way I'm acting!? Am I not allowed to touch my boyfriend?"

Kaito froze, trying not to stop the silly grin from spreading across his face. Shinichi _never_ acknowledged their relationship! Shaking his head, he told himself that it was obviously because of whatever was that was making him act weird. "That's not…" He bit his lip. "Did you ingest something weird, Shinichi? 'Cuz seriously, you're not acting like yourself."

Shinichi's eyes dimmed slightly and his shoulders slumped. Kaito's eyes widened and he shook him again. "What's wrong, Shin-chan? What happened?"

Shinichi's arm came up to snag his shirt and drag him forward enough that Shinichi could rest his head on Kaito's shoulder. "Am I really so cold that you think something is wrong with me when I try to be close to you?" He murmured into the fabric of his shirt.

"E-eh? Shin-chan, what…?"

"You must hate me for being so distant all the time." Shinichi choked, what felt like tears dropping onto Kaito's shirt and soaking the fabric.

Kaito blinked, completely lost for the moment, but wrapped his arms around the distraught detective. "I have no clue what's going on here, but I could never hate you, Shinichi. Do you really think I'd keep pestering you if I did?" Shinichi shrugged against him, not lifting his face. "Seriously, Shinichi, there's no way I would hate you. It's just…you were acting different than usual and you're someone who acts pretty much the same most of the time." He paused, "are you _sure_ you weren't drugged or something?" Shinichi kicked him. "Ow. No, I'm serious. I mean, your eyes were kinda glazed earlier and your speech all slurred, so it's not _that_ far off base to assume that maybe you got drugged or something. Although…come to think of it, you smell kind of funny, too."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean!?" Shinichi demanded, affronted.

"You tell me!"

"I…_may_ have taken some weird pill Haibara gave me, but it's not like I'm drugged or anything. I mean, I can think straight and I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing, I'm just a little…uninhibited maybe?"

"…Did Ojou-san give you alcohol?"

"I don't…maybe?"

Kaito sighed. "Yeeeeah, that might explain a few things. C'mon, let's get you to bed so you can sleep it off." He shifted so that he could wrap an arm around Shinichi waist and dragged him up the stairs.

When he got the detective settled in the bed, he was surprised when Shinichi whispered, "I just wanted to be more open for you. But you thought it was weird…"

Kaito smiled. "Baka, Shin-chan. I'll admit it gets frustrating at times, but I like you just fine the way you are." He kissed his forehead, "besides, it challenges me to keep your attention and get you to open up naturally."


	21. Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

Thousands of fans were screaming loudly, chanting the name of the notorious phantom thief who had sent a message stating he'd steal a large emerald tonight from one of the most highly guarded museums in the whole of Tokyo.

"You know," Conan commented idly from his perch on the building adjacent to the museum, hidden in the shadows on the roof, "you'd think the fans would realize by now that there's not terribly much to see from the outside. All the real action is on the inside."

"Yes, but it's not like they can gain access to the inside. Not everyone is as resourceful as you are, Tantei-kun," A silky voice purred in his ear, lifting the binoculars from his grasp and putting them to his own face, looking down to where the police were scurrying around, making last minute preparations. "Hmm, looks like Hakuba decided to join in on the fun. And yet, Mouri-tantei's not down there. How did you manage to come here without him?"

Conan shrugged. "I have my resources. Ran thinks I'm staying over at Agasa's; Agasa-hakase thinks I'm at Ran's. As such, nobody actually knows that I'm unaccounted for. Which is lucky for you, otherwise I wouldn't be here to help you out." He sighed lightly. "I do kind of miss the chase, though. It was always the most enjoyable challenge."

"Not to worry," Kaitou Kid grinned. "After all, you can always chase me on our own time, preferably when we don't have murderous alcoholics after us.

"Heh. Yeah, that would be best, wouldn't it? A challenge without the threat to life. That's something I haven't seen in a long time."

"I know," Kid whispered softly, wrapping an arm around him. "But don't worry. Today marks the beginning of winter."

"So?"

"Be poetic, Tantei-kun. Winter symbolizes the end before a new beginning can rise anew."

"Like I said, so?"

Kid sighed. "With any luck, the dead of winter will hurt the alcohol and spring's rebirth will be gifted only to those of us with less…murderous intentions."

"Pretty thoughts, Kid, but you realize there's hardly any chance of that."

"Be optimistic for once, Tantei-kun. You never know what favors fate may bring upon us. After all, the merciful lady brought me you, didn't she?" He laughed, pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead.

"Idiot," he muttered in response, but there was no heat behind his words and he willingly leaned back against the thief in the moments before the show.


	22. Nativity

Nativity

Ai sighed wearily. In an effort to get the kids to embrace Western culture, Kobayashi-sensei had somehow managed to convince the school to sponsor a nativity scene play…put on by her students, of course.

Ai, much to her discomfort, had been casted as the Virgin Mary. What truly amused her, though, was that Edogawa Conan, as the smallest and lightest member of their class, had been forced to play baby Jesus. Which meant the furiously blushing boy would be wearing nothing more than a sheet wrapped around his slim body and making whiny, baby noises while his family and friends laughed from the audience. Not the best night of his life.

For Ai, however, who particularly enjoyed watching Kudo squirm, the night was going to be one of the most entertaining ones she'd seen in a long while, with the slight exception of the fact that she was also subject to participating in the play…as Kudo's mother. Who was somehow a virgin. She didn't really get how that worked.

At any rate, most of the real children were wildly excited, waving to their parents and friends just before the show started. With some surprise, she noted that one or two police officers that they often worked with had also shown up. Strange, she thought, wondering who had thought to invite them.

Soon enough, the production was in full swing and the children performed aptly enough for a group of seven year old brats. She had to stop herself from smirking evilly when one of the gifts from the Wise Men toppled down to land just next to Conan's head, causing him to yelp and whimper quite pitifully.

Oh yes, thought Ai as they all stood in a line at the forefront of the stage, Conan clutching his sheet warily, making sure it wouldn't fall, tonight was indeed an entertaining adventure.

When the lights turned off and the curtain went down, though, she was a little surprised when Conan was nowhere to be found. Most of the kids hadn't noticed and Mouri-san was busy being surrounded by the other members of the Shonen Tantei to note the absence of her young charge. Assuming he'd simply gone to change out of the demeaning sheet, Ai headed towards the changing room with the intent of torturing the poor boy mercilessly.

Those plans changed slightly when she walked in on what could only be classified as an awkward scene. Conan, still wearing the sheet, although is had slipped down to hang precariously off his waist, leaving his torso bare, was pressed up against the wall, someone who looked remarkably like Takagi Wataru crouching over him, head somewhere near his ear doing something Ai didn't really want to contemplate.

"Unless there's something Sato-keiji should really know," she began, deadpan except for the wide smirk spreading across her face, "I take it you're not actually Takagi-keiji."

With a startled yelp, Conan jerked away from the Takagi-look-alike, blushing brightly and staring at her with wide eyes. "H-Haibara!" The sheet, disturbed by his sudden movement, began to fall from his hips, prompting him to make a wild grab for them, face reddening even further if that were possible.

For his part, the Takagi-look-alike simply stood calmly, looking down at her with a confident smirk that was definitely never to be seen on the real Takagi's face. "Quite so, Ojou-san," he commented in a smooth voice. "As a matter of fact, I believe Takagi-keiji is somewhere at the police station at the moment, being interrogated about something to do with the lovely Sato-keiji."

"Mmhm," Ai nodded absently, staring at him with a contemplative look on her face. "And you're here because?"

"I invited him," Conan mumbled, hurriedly pulling on a shirt and pointedly not looking at anyone. Not-Takagi gave him a fond look, holding out a pair of trousers for him.

Ai's eyebrows rose. "Really now? And why might you do that, _Edogawa-kun_?"

"Oh. He already knows." Conan shrugged, taking the trousers, but not daring to remove the sheet long enough to put them on. "I didn't tell him," he added as an afterthought, aware of the seriousness Ai regarded their secrecy with.

She glared at him. "And, what, since he apparently knows, you're fooling around with him until you can go back to Mouri-chan?"

Not-Takagi stiffened, almost imperceptibly, his face shutting down into a careful mask. Conan glared at her. "I'm not 'going back' to Ran," he muttered, eyes downcast.

"What?" Ai gasped in surprise. Wasn't Kudo supposed to be madly in love with Mouri-chan, willing to go through thousands of painful transformations just to be by her side?

"Well, first off, I was never with Ran, so it couldn't really be constituted as 'going back' to her anyway. And second off, well…" He sighed, "Ran's my best friend and she deserves to be happy. She's never gonna be happy waiting for me, Haibara." He looked at her evenly. "I called her three weeks ago and told her that. Haven't you noticed? She's been rather distracted since then. Still, we agreed it was for the best. And…" he bit his lip, but vaguely indicated Not-Takagi. Said man beamed at him, catching his flailing hand and clasping it gently.

Ai gave the two of them a flat look, trying not to let the shock register on her face. "On that note…who _is_ this?"

Conan's face immediately caught fire again, but Not-Takagi bowed deeply, flourishing the hand that wasn't holding Conan's and producing a rose before her. "Kaitou Kid, at your service, Ojou-san."

Ai stared. And stared. And stared. She stared some more before looking over at the red-faced Conan and deciding that staring just wasn't good enough. She burst into great peals of laughter, giggling like no one had ever seen Haibara Ai giggle.

Summoned by the noise, footsteps started heading down the hall and towards them, prompting Kid to tear his gaze away from the decidedly bizarre girl, press a kiss to Conan's forehead – just above the eyebrows that had risen up to his hairline – and vanish with a brief puff of smoke. Seconds later, Mouri Ran entered the dressing room to see Conan, clad in a shirt and holding a sheet around his waist, staring at the laughing Haibara like she was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen.

"I don't get it," Genta muttered dejectedly, tugging at his Wise Man's costume. Ai only laughed harder.

--

**I apologize for the apparent OOC-ness of Haibara, but really, I couldn't think of any reaction more fitting. How would **_**you**_** react if you found out your detective friend (who happened to be under four feet tall) was getting friendly with a notorious thief (who was also a great deal taller)?**


	23. Gingerbread House

Gingerbread House

"So…why are we doing this again?" Conan asked, waving around the tube of icing.

"Because you said you'd never done it before. Which means you had no childhood. So I'm making sure you make a gingerbread house now…when you're seventeen."

"Except I'm seven now…and we're doing this in class tomorrow. Just so you know. Also, this would probably taste better if you didn't buy that kit at the store. All the stuff they use is tasteless and crap for you."

"Yeah, but we didn't really have much time. And I only had 1190 yen (approximately $10). Anyway, what does it matter? The point is, it's fun to make and there's enough sugar to cover up the taste." Kaito flashed him a grin, sticking a gumdrop hat on top of the gingerbread Christmas tree that was currently leaning forward precariously.

Conan shot him a look. "You're not actually going to eat this, are you? I mean…look at all this sugar. And you're hyper enough as it is."

"But it'll be tasty!"

Conan sighed. "I thought we'd been through this. It won't actually taste very good. You already ate the chimney anyway when it fell off and said it didn't taste very good yourself."

"Still! Besides, we have to finish making it before we can eat it, so it doesn't matter yet!"

Ten minutes passed in relative silence as the boys attempted to construct the gingerbread house according to the instructions on the box. There were a few complications here and there ("Why does the picture on the box have circular windows? Ours doesn't." "Ours also doesn't look like it was made on Photoshop. Who cares?") but eventually, they declared the house finished.

"It's done!" Kaito cheered, squeezing the tube of icing and inadvertently shooting icing onto his miniature clone.

Conan glared, smearing the icing across his cheek with the back of his hand in an attempt to get it off…and only managing to get some on his glasses. "It looks more like a cabin than a house."

"Shut up! It's – what happened to you?"

"You shot me with icing, idiot! What do you think happened?" He pulled his glasses off, smudging the frames with icing from his fingertips. "Oh hell. This is all your fault!"

Kaito looked rather proud of himself. "Look on the bright side," he grinned, leaning down next to the boy and taking his face gently between his hands. "It'll add to your flavor," he laughed, enjoying the rapid blush that developed on Conan's face.

"Idiot! You're just getting more icing on me from your hands!"

"The more the merrier!"

"Stay away from me, fiend! And that's not what that means!"

"Says who? And stop freaking out. It's just icing. It'll wash off."

Conan glared at him, cheeks covered with icing in two distinct hand-shaped areas. "Just eat your stupid gingerbread house. _I'm_ going to get this shit off of me."

"I could always take it off for you," Kaito offered.

"Yeah. Right. Enjoy your treat, thief."

"Oh, but I would. You just have to come back here."

"That's not what I meant! Hey! I said don't touch me! Your hands are all covered with frosting still!"

"That's the point."

--

**Okay, not really sure I like this one, but based partially off of my own experience with making a gingerbread house today. And we really did get the kit for 10 bucks. Yay for Christmas shopping two days before!**


	24. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

**Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!**

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

When Conan showed up at his house on Christmas Eve, Kaito would admit to being surprised. He was even more surprised when Conan literally threw himself at the unexpecting thief, bodily clinging to him.

"Tantei-kun?" He gasped in surprise, arms instinctively coming around him, holding him to Kaito so that he wouldn't fall. "What happened? You okay?"

"Had a really weird case." Conan muttered, voice slightly muffled in Kaito's shirt. "Made me want to come see you."

Kaito couldn't help the smile spreading across his face at Conan's confession, kicking the door shut and hauling the small boy further into the house. His mother gave him a strange look, but he simply shot her a secretive grin and knew she wouldn't bother them.

"So," he began, sitting them both down in the rec room. "What happened exactly?"

Conan groaned. "It was _really_ weird. At first, I was kind of surprised I ran across it, actually, because it didn't seem to be a murder, you know, just a hit and run. But there were some weird things about it that had the police totally baffled."

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that the victim had little hoof prints on her forehead and two parallel lines of bruising. She'd apparently been walking home from her son's house after dinner, reportedly a little unsteady from large amounts of eggnog." Conan sighed, "aside from the decidedly odd cause of death, everything appeared to be quite simple. It was an accident and whatever vehicle the driver had been in had trampled her, leaving odd marks."

"But?"

"Well, the grandchild came in after that. He was sobbing and clutching at his grandpa, the victim's spouse. He started claiming that his 'grandma got run over by a reindeer,' which, of course, is ridiculous. But he kept going on and on about how 'you can say there's no such thing as Santa, but as for me and grandpa, we believe.' At that point, I swear I knew something about the case seemed familiar, but…

"Someone dressed up as Santa riding in a sled pulled by reindeer was pulled over for speeding. There were traces of the fabrics in the victim's clothing on the bottom of the sled and the hoof marks matched up exactly."

"So…wait, are you saying that grandma seriously was run over by a reindeer?"

"Yes," Conan moaned pitifully. "And that kid is totally convinced that Santa is an evil, murderous, fat guy, even though we _caught_ the real culprit."

Kaito attempted to frown, sympathetic for the child – Christmas would no doubt never be the same for him – but his lips kept twitching with the effort of holding back joyous peels of laughter. Murder was bad, he reminded himself, no matter how it was done. And Tantei-kun had come here for a reason, most likely a sympathetic ear, too, so he really shouldn't laugh at him, but…

Oh hell. He broke down, cackling and chortling. Conan jerked and sent him a glare full of betrayal, but he really couldn't help it. After all, how often to Christmas carols come true? That Santa must've planned pretty damn hard to get it all worked out according to the song.


	25. Christmas

**Merry Christmas!! Even if most of the world seems to have already passed it. Maybe my clock is behind?**

Christmas

Seeing Kaito in a dress wasn't all that strange. The boy enjoyed cross-dressing on many occasions and Shinichi had a knack for picking him out of the crowd.

What _was_ strange, however, was that Kaito wasn't in the guise of some girl. No, he was still Kuroba Kaito according to all experiences…except that he was wearing a dress. A slim red and white dress with little bits of fluff on all the cuffs. With a matching Santa hat as well.

Suffice it to say that Shinichi was extremely disturbed. This was certainly not what he had expected when Kaito invited him to his house for Christmas.

"Is this what you do in your free time?" He asked, eyebrow cocked as his eyes traced his boyfriend's figure, noting that, while the dress was indeed odd to see him in without a disguise, it wasn't entirely _bad_, per say. In fact, it was kind of nice in a way. It certainly helped to leave little to the imagination as far as Kaito's body was concerned. And he certainly didn't mind that.

"Sometimes." Kaito hummed, twirling around to face him. "Do you think it makes me look fat?"

Shinichi blanked. "No. Just…no. Please, spare me from that accursed question."

Kaito laughed at Shinichi's dramatics. "I'm Mrs. Clause. Sort of. Except for the male part, anyway. What do you think?"

"I think…that when they say that Christmas is a time for couples, this is not at all what they mean. I also think that there's no way in hell you're going to get me into a matching costume, so don't even bother trying."

"Aw, c'mon Shin-chan. It'll be fun. Besides, if you don't want the Mr. Clause outfit, I can always put you in this one." He ran his hands over nonexistent curves, sliding them over his hips. "I'll certainly enjoy it if you do."

Shinichi blushed. "I…what about going out somewhere? You know, major date spots, that museum you wanted to visit, anything like that?"

Kaito stalked forward, grin threatening to split his face. "We have all day, Shin-chan. Besides, you know I'm at my prime at night. We can go out later. For now…Mom's out of the house, visiting relatives, and you know you'll enjoy it if you'll let yourself."

"But – your mom could be home at any time. Or your friends could stop by. Or…" His excuses fell short when Kaito had him pinned against the wall completely, mouth quite suddenly occupied with other, far more entertaining uses than talking.


	26. Boxing Day

Boxing Day

"Happy Boxing Day, Shin-chan!" Kaito dropped from the roof of Shinichi's library to land on the detective's back.

Shinichi groaned. "You do realize we don't celebrate Boxing Day in Japan, don't you? Heck, do you even know what Boxing Day is?"

"Yup."

"_How_?"

"I have a British prat for a classmate, remember?"

"And Hakuba-san just happened to tell you all about Boxing Day, did he?"

"Well, no. I had to look it up on the internet. But still, it's not that strange for me to know about holidays in other countries."

"Yes it is." Shinichi muttered. "So…what _is_ Boxing Day?"

"Um. Well, historically it was a day where servants didn't have to work and as such, gentry would gather around, have a big buffet of cold cuts, and play parlor games. Or so says Wikipedia, anyway."

Shinichi gave him a flat look. "And this is cause for celebration for us…_how_?"

"Well…it's a national holiday?"

"In places of British descent. Which is not Japan, in case you didn't know."

"Oh c'mon, Shin-chan. Even if it's an obscure reference, it's still a holiday."

"I'm still not seeing the point here. And get off my back, would you?"

"Nope." Kaito grinned, pressing his lips against Shinichi's neck. "My point is that you should stay here today, with me. And not go out and get caught up in some case. After all, the police deserve a vacation, too."

"I don't run into a murder _everywhere_ I go." Shinichi pouted.

"Do too. And as such, you should stay with me. 'Kay?"

"…Fine…" Shinichi sighed, acting put upon, but he had no protest when Kaito disengaged himself from his back to twist around to face him, lips meeting his own in a soft kiss.


	27. Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

"You know," Kaito leered over his cup at his friend, "they say chocolate is an aphrodisiac. I wonder if that's true."

Shinichi gave him a flat look. "Somehow, I doubt it'd work properly in conjunction with our crazy luck – whether it be good or bad. Things just never seem to work properly when it comes to us."

Kaito pouted at him. "You're such a spoilsport, Shin-chan. Besides, my good luck would seem to call for it working, wouldn't it?"

"But my bad luck cancels it out. Anyway, what do you need an aphrodisiac for? Planning on wooing some innocent girl or something?"

Kaito frowned deeply. 'Idiot,' he thought to himself. "What would I need with some innocent girl?" He asked, taking on a philosophic tone. "The innocent have many a fall back and most prove to be something of a turn off. Plus, my interests are geared more towards something with less…curves, shall we say?"

"Oh? Like what? That childhood friend you always say is 'flat-chested'?"

Kaito eyed him contemplatively. "Mmmm, nope. Why, you think childhood friends are meant to be together or something?"

Shinichi shrugged. "Some make it seem like it. Others, not so much. I mean, some grow up like siblings and others grow up as potential love interests. Question is, which are you?"

"Siblings, most definitely. And I don't go for incest. What about you? You and Mouri-chan were rumored to have something going for a while, but then, rumors can be misleading."

"And usually are. Um, I guess we're the siblings type. Sort of. We were kind of confused for a while, but the one date we had – and actually had enough guts to call it as such – totally flopped. Anyway, she's found someone else now."

"And you?"

Shinichi shrugged. "I don't know. I've never really thought much about it. I'm so busy with work and whatnot that I don't have time to worry about romance."

"Might take some of the edge off of work, you know, to have someone to come home to, look forward to."

Shinichi blinked at him. "But I already come home to you, don't I? Speaking of which, when did my house turn into yours? Do you ever go home anymore?"

"Not really. Nothing interesting to do at home. So, you're not interested at all in finding someone?"

"Why bother? No one to love, no one to break up with when something bad goes down."

"Rather pessimistic view of life, isn't it?"

"I run into murders on a regular basis. Yeah, I'd say I have a rather pessimistic view of the world. What does it matter anyway?"

"It doesn't I guess." Kaito sighed, "So, what would you do if you found someone that was interested in you?"

"Deal with it when it comes. Not many people go after someone who leaves a trail of dead bodies where ever they go."

"Some people have tastes that are geared away from the socially acceptable."

"Really? And would you consider yourself one of those people?"

"I think nearly anyone who knows me would agree that I defy normality parameters. I mean, really. Normal? Me?"

Shinichi chuckled. "True. What does any of this have to do with anything, anyway?" He laughed again. "I can't believe this. Here we are, sitting around gossiping over a cup of hot chocolate. We're almost worse than the guys at the precinct."

"Well, it does make for an interesting topic of conversation. Even if it is a little…out of character." He grinned, "I can't quite see you sitting around the break room, gossiping with a ton of police officers like old women at a hair salon."

"No, I don't think that would happen. Anyway, I think the company is more entertaining than the conversation."

"Oh, is that a compliment? From you? That's an uncommon occurrence."

"Not really. You are quite fascinating, after all."

"Why thank you." Kaito grinned, setting down his empty mug and rounding the table to touch the detective. "How, ah, _interested_ would you be in investigating just how 'fascinating' I am?"

Shinichi blinked up at him as he slid into the other boy's lap. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Kaito leaned forward, his breath ghosting over Shinichi's face, "would you like to see if chocolate is an effective aphrodisiac for either of us?"

Shinichi licked his lips, just barely letting the tip of his tongue touch Kaito's lips. "Well, I suppose it would be…interesting." Kaito's lips curved upwards into a smirk against his own. "One thing, though."

"Yeah?"

"You have some really pathetic pick up lines."

"I've heard worse."

"So have I. The sad thing is, they worked." Kaito laughed, pulling his head down and kissing him, cutting off whatever else he may have wanted to say.


	28. Tinsel

Tinsel

"Kaito," Shinichi began slowly, face taut with irritation. "_Why_ is there tinsel all over my floor? You were supposed to be taking down the decorations and _putting them in boxes_, not leaving them on the floor!"

"Yeah, yeah, Shin-chan. I'm getting there. You've got to take everything down first before you can store it away."

"Right. Which is why you were sitting around playing video games on my computer." He growled, "Dammit, Kaito, I need to get these decorations down for New Year's. You volunteered to help me. If you aren't going to do any good, then leave!"

Kaito stopped in his tracks, looking at him with confused purple eyes. "What's wrong, Shin-chan?"

"Nothing! Just…if you're not going to help, I don't want to deal with you right now."

Kaito frowned as Shinichi turned, storming out of the room. He knew he tended to irritate his lover at times, but usually his responses were more…reasonable. Biting his lip, he marched after the detective, wrapping his arms loosely around his bent form. "I'm sorry," he whispered into his ear, pleased when the detective dropped the tinsel he had gathered to focus his attention fully on the thief. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

Shinichi sighed, shoulders slumping. "I know. I'm sorry, I just…" he closed his eyes, pushing Kaito back enough so that he could sit down. Kaito accommodated his movement, keeping his hold around the detective. "We had a murder victim earlier. A child was strangled with a strand of tinsel. When I saw some all over the floor…"

Kaito smiled slightly, pressing his lips to the crown of Shinichi's head. "I understand. Sorry I didn't get it all put away before you got home."

"'S alright. And thanks. Sorry for snapping at you."

Kaito chuckled. "Please, like you haven't yelled at me before. Anyway, let's get these decorations put away, hmm?"


	29. Traffic

Traffic

Kuroba Kaito was not happy. This fact was not terribly significant, unless of course, you were stuck within the confines of a car with the magician, who made the fact that he was upset loud and clear. Poor Kudo Shinichi was miserable.

"Kaito, I know this isn't exactly what you had in mind for the day, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Even _you_ should have enough sense not to prank someone while they're driving!"

"Since when do you have a license, anyway?" Kaito grumbled. His idea of spending the day with his boyfriend was not being stuck in traffic on the way to the airport to pick up his boyfriend's parent…who didn't actually know that their son was gay. "Do we _have_ to do this?"

Shinichi sighed. "I have an international license that I got in America. And yes, we have to. They asked me specifically to come pick them up, said they had some sort of surprise." He groaned. He wasn't looking forward to something his mother considered a 'surprise'.

Pouting, Kaito took out his ire on the nearest lamppost, setting it up so that the lights would flash iridescently and send out spews of sparkles every fifteen minutes once the lamp turned on. Shinichi gave him a flat look full of exasperated fondness.

"I know you're not looking forward to seeing my parents." He reached out with one hand and clasped Kaito's. "I promise, I'm going to tell them. It's not like it matters if they don't approve. I've been living on my own since I was fourteen, so it's not like they can throw me out of a house they don't live in anymore."

"If anything happens, you can come stay with me," Kaito offered. Shinichi grinned at him in thanks.

Silently, they pulled into the airport, waiting in front of the proper terminal entrance. Soon enough, his parents appeared, hauling ridiculous amounts of luggage behind them. Groaning slightly, Shinichi got out of the car to help them struggle it into the trunk, Kaito following behind him.

"Shin-chan!" His mother screamed, smothering him in a suffocating hug. "Guess what, guess what, guess what!?"

Shinichi choked, unable to get enough air into his lungs to respond. Kaito gently unwrapped Yukiko's arms from his boyfriend, apologizing softly while explaining that he needed a little something called oxygen. Yukiko blinked at him. "Who are you? Oh, never mind. Shin-chan, you need to guess!"

Shinichi stared at her, eyes watering and still gasping for gratuitous amounts of air. "I don't think I really care to guess right now, 'Kaa-chan." He coughed.

"But it's so wonderful! You see, this old friend of mine from America has this daughter who has agreed to meet with you. I know you and Ran-chan didn't work out, but I really think you'll like this girl. She's absolutely adorable and she likes mysteries too, so you won't have to worry about that, and – "

"Uh, Mom?" Shinichi interrupted, holding up a hand. Yusaku helpfully placed a hand over his wife's mouth, giving his son a chance to speak. "I think maybe I should introduce my companion. This is Kuroba Kaito, my boyfriend."

There was silence for a long moment, Yukiko's eyes going wide and muffled exclamations trying to get out from under Yusaku's hand. The senior Kudo apparently didn't have the current thought processes available to move it.

"Your…boyfriend…"

"Yeah. You know, like the guy I'm currently dating? It's, uh, not actually that uncommon. Well, I mean, it is here, I guess, but you just came from America and it's not really uncommon there and…yeah." Shinichi rambled slightly.

Kaito grinned over his shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I can also appear as a fairly hot girl if the circumstances call for it."

Shinichi groaned. "That's not helping, Kaito."

"But it does make things interesting, you have to admit." He leered at the gob smacked parents. No way was some gaijin girl taking Shinichi from him.


	30. Eggnog

Eggnog

"Hey, Kaito," Shinichi exited his library, looking for his boyfriend. He'd been researching a recent theft case and he wanted confirmation on something he'd found out about the targets. Considering who Kaito really was, he was the best confirmation source he could get. "Do you know – is that eggnog?"

Kaito blinked up at him from where he was lounging on the couch, drinking eggnog straight from the carton. He grinned lazily. "Yup."

Shinichi frowned. He didn't particularly like eggnog himself, so he hadn't bought any, besides which the drink wasn't generally sold in Japan. "Where'd you get it?" He asked suspiciously.

"I have my ways," Kaito hiccupped cheerily. Shinichi stared at him, eyes zeroing in on the label that said _Baileys Irish Cream_.

"There's alcohol in that," he stated rather stupidly.

"A-yup." Kaito giggled. Shinichi bit his lip. Kaito _could_ be drunk, seeing as he was acting a little strange, but on the other hand, that could just be Kaito. What would a drunk Kaito act like? "Ne, Shin-chan, what color is the sky?"

Nonplussed, Shinichi stated, "blue?"

"Yep!" The magician (he was leaning towards him being drunk now) clapped his hands together happily, the eggnog carton he'd released floating in midair above his prone form, in perfect reach should he want it again.

Shinichi sighed. Okay, sure, he accepted that maybe there was some real magic behind Kaito's little tricks (only so much was allowable within the laws of physics, after all), but he really wasn't prepared to discover what Kaito might do with less-than-normal-powers when he was quite possibly drunk. Which brought up another question. "If I pick you up, will the eggnog fall?" He didn't want to stain the couch or the carpet, after all.

Kaito stared at him, uncomprehendingly, but stretched his arms out towards him when he stepped closer. Unsure of what to do, Shinichi reached out to grab the eggnog, hoping that Kaito wouldn't do something so that he couldn't move it. He didn't, thankfully, but as soon as the beverage was taken away, Kaito kicked his feet and arms out erratically, whining and begging for more.

Shinichi groaned. "I think you've had more than enough, Kaito. This stuff was not meant for mass consumption." He set the carton on the coffee table far enough away from Kaito that the brunette wouldn't knock it over with his flailing before traveling back over to the magician and leaning over him, preparing to carry him upstairs to a spare bedroom where he could sleep it off.

The magician had other ideas.

His arms wrapped around Shinichi cooperatively, but he refused to budge, instead pulling the detective down on top of him. "Sleep wi' me, Shin-chyan," he requested, drawing out his nickname in the midst of a wide yawn. He made himself comfortable, cuddling up against him and completely ignoring the fact that the couch was not made for two people to lay down on. Strangely enough, however, the limps that couldn't fit on the couch hung over the edge, perfectly level with the cushions as if something were there, propping them up.

Shinichi groaned. He didn't want to think about magic and impossibilities (if they even existed). Shrugging a figurative shoulder – his own was quite immobile with his and Kaito's weights on it – he yawned himself, nuzzling his head into the crook of Kaito's shoulder. He could always ask Kaito about his question later, anyway, and the boy was quite warm.

--

**Second to last chapter! Thanks for hanging on with me all the while and thank you all for your reviews!**


	31. New Year's Eve

**LAST CHAPTER!** **Happy New Year('s Eve) Everybody!**

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve. A day for lovers, as far as most teenagers were concerned. They went around loudly bragging about plans and dates and left any single teen a lonesome mess.

Not all of them were so loud and open about it, though. In fact some were so closed-mouth about their plans that a group of people resorted to stalking them to get the answers they wanted. These stalkers, of course, had nothing better to do, being in the lonesome category themselves.

Perhaps that was why they follow, because they were jealous that one of their friends had left their ranks. Whatever the case, though, New Year's Eve dawned with the group of stalkers lying in wait in the neighboring house of one Kuroba Kaito. They knew they had to be careful. Following one such as Kuroba took skill and cunning and they'd never kid anyone that they had all of those. Still, they planned on trying their hardest to find out just what Kuroba was planning. As stated, they had nothing better to do.

Kaito himself exited his house at around 10am with a bounce in his step, whistling tunelessly to himself. He was looking forward to the upcoming date he had planned. Meeting his date in the middle of the park was probably a bit strange, but then, most people wouldn't be looking at the same attraction he was.

"Kaito," A smooth voice called, the slim figure waving at him.

"Hey," he grinned, trotting forward to fling himself on him. The other man grunted, arms wrapping around him in an attempt to keep his balance, but it was not to be. The two of them toppled over, Kaito on top and grinning all the while.

"You're heavy," the other man, who looked remarkably like Kaito complained.

"Are you calling me fat, Shin-chan?" Kaito asked, mournfully. Shinichi gave him a flat glare.

"Why'd you want to meet here, anyway? It's not exactly near the theatre."

"There's a lunar eclipse today! I wanted to see it with you!" Shinichi blushed, arms still wrapped around his boyfriend. "Then we can go see the movie. You've been waiting to see Sherlock Holmes for a while now, huh?"

"Shut up. It's supposed to be a really good movie."

"Hey, I agreed to go, didn't I? I wanted to see it, too, just not as much as you, probably. I am the one rooting for the thief, after all."

"Yeah, yeah. So, are we going to be able to see the eclipse from here?"

"Yup! Look, look, it should be happening soon!" He pointed towards the horizon where the moon hung in the sky, slowly succumbing to Earth's shadow.

"Whoa," Shinichi muttered, scarcely blinking.

"Whoa is right. So," he began again when the eclipse ended, "ready to see if Irene Adler can get the better of Sherlock Holmes again?"

Shinichi frowned at him, "even if she does, it's mostly for a continuing plot at this point. The significance of her outsmarting him has already been recognized."

"Yes, but the point is that she is a criminal who sometimes aids the law and has caught the eye of one particular, extraordinary individual." His grin turned challenging, "not completely black, but certainly not white. She's a mix of grey."

"Rather like another individual I know."

"And that, indeed, is her appeal, both to Holmes and to thousands of viewers and readers. Tell me, would you say that holds the same appeal for you?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, leaning forward to brush his lips against his thief's. "Come on, idiot. If we stand around talking any longer, we'll miss the film." With a dazed grin on his face, Kaito snatched his wrist and dragged him towards the theatre, paying no mind to the assortment of stalkers that were standing in the bushes, eyes wide and jaws on the floor.

"Does that mean he _knows_!?" Hakuba murmured to himself when he'd gotten his wits about him enough to relocate his jaw.

"Certainly makes things interesting, doesn't it?" Akako drawled. Aoko simply stood next to her, gobsmacked.

--

**Thanks for sticking with me and reading, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed!**


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